THEIR STYLE: “both [are] known for an elegant sense of style, lending glamour to their husbands' campaigns.”Michelle Obama: “…was praised by style writers for the violet sheath dress she wore to her husband's Democratic nomination victory rally and has been compared to former first lady Jacqueline Kennedy.”

Cindy McCain: “…posed in size zero jeans for the latest issue of Vogue”

ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL:Michelle: “The strong-minded Obama exudes confidence and is an accomplished public speaker.”

Cindy: “…is reserved and seems far less comfortable in the limelight when she campaigns with her husband, who is 18 years her senior ...

THEIR BACKGROUND, EDUCATION AND CAREER:Michelle: “…is a Princeton- and Harvard-educated lawyer raised by blue-collar parents on the working-class South Side of Chicago ... she juggled a job as a hospital executive with raising two young daughters and lending support to her 46-year-old husband's political aspirations.”

Cindy: “...is a former rodeo queen and cheerleader who holds a master's degree in special education from the University of Southern California. She grew up in a wealthy family in Phoenix and is heiress to Hensley & Co, one of the largest U.S. distributors for brewing giant Anheuser-Busch.”

THEIR RELATIONSHIP TO THEIR HUSBANDS:Michelle: “..it appears that throughout their married life, she and her husband have been very much equals ... Her image as an equal partner was on display with the celebratory fist-bump the Obamas shared on the night he clinched the nomination last week.Cindy: “...[her] deferential manner puts her in the company of more traditional first ladies such as Nancy Reagan and Laura Bush. ... [she] has her own version of the "Nancy Reagan stare," the adoring gaze that the former first lady perfected.”

CRITICISM:Michelle: “some pundits” say she criticizes her husband too much … “In one comment seized upon by conservative Internet bloggers ... led critics to accuse her of being unpatriotic”

Cindy: “…she refused to release her tax returns critics said her lack of transparency was at odds with her husband's message of openness in government. McCain eventually relented.” ... she had an “...addiction in the early 1990s to painkillers...which she at first kept secret from her husband and family.” ... and she had a “...stroke that nearly killed her four years ago.”

THE BOTTOM LINE..........

Michelle Obama is a stylish, hip, smart, strong-minded, confident, hard-working, career-and-family-juggling woman who is equal to her husband, but who may sometimes be a bit outspoken giving ammunition to her critics.

Cindy McCain is a rail-thin, awkward, deferential, privileged, silver-spooned heiress, and a former druggie who has a history of near deadly health problems.